Thursday News & Notes from Kentucky Equine Research

This is what a fat, hairy and muddy vacationing 3* horse looks like. Photo by Kate Samuels.

This is what a fat, hairy and muddy vacationing 3* horse looks like. Photo by Kate Samuels.

I have this feeling, right now, that if I took a stranger into my barn, and told them that one of the horses inside was in fact a ridiculously good jumping 3* horse, they would look at each one, and Nyls would be the first one exiled off the list of possibles. It’s almost comical how he puffs up with hair like a thelwell in October, and let’s not even mention that he defines air-fern. The horse gets a handful of grain a day and he’s basically a balloon of dusty hair and chub. It’s a miracle, looking at him now, that he manages those big jumps like he does. My, oh my, how the mighty have gained weight for the winter.

U.S. Weekend Preview:

Virginia H.T. & CCI/CIC [Website] [Entry Status]

Rocking Horse Fall H.T.  [Website] [Entry Status]

Full Gallop Farm Fall H.T.  [Website]

Pine Hill Fall H.T.  [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

Galway Downs H.T. & CCI  [Website] [Live Scores]

News From Around The Globe:

Congratulations to Taylor Mohr and Kelley Wachter, the two winners of an October box from A Horse Box! We gave away two awesome prizes from A Horse Box this month, and we have more to come so keep an eye out for those! [Giveaway: A Horse Box]

In just a few days, American Pharoah will contest the Breeder’s Cup Classic, and then quit racing for good. The first Triple Crown winner in 37 years has a stall waiting for him at Coolmore Stud in Versailles, Kentucky. As he contests the $5 million dollar race on Saturday, he goes in as the early 4-5 favorite, in post position number four. Do you think he can do it? [Fond Farewell Awaits American Pharoah]

FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips is giving away five pairs of tickets to Galway Downs International Horse Trials this weekend! If you’re in the area and don’t want to miss out on the fun, you can enter to win TODAY! All you have to do is send an email to [email protected]. Winners will be drawn today at noon Pacific time. [FLAIR Facebook Announcement]

Volunteers needed for VAHT!! The Virginia Horse Trials are taking place starting today through the weekend, and they need lots more volunteers! There are jobs for everybody on every day, including ring stewards, vet assistants for the FEI levels, and jump judges for cross country. If you belong to a club or non-profit, they pay $20 a day towards your cause for volunteering! T-shirts, breakfast, snacks, lunch, VTO gift cards and other goodies too. [Volunteer Today!]

After a gruesome murder and dismemberment of show jumper Phedras de Blondel, a $30,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator. Recently imported from France, the twelve year old gelding was lead from his stall on Sunday and slaughtered on the farm. Owners Debbie and Steve Stephens are seeking answers, and, as a weird side fact, actor William Shatner has donated $5,000 to the cause of finding the criminals. [$30,000 Reward for Slaughtered Show Jumper]

Ever have a horse with a chronically sore back? If you’re stuck wondering why, maybe some science will help demystify the situation for you. We all know that horses that spend a lot of time inverted can subject themselves to back pain, but what about how abdominal muscles affect the back? And then there is saddle fit, conformation, and possible hind end lameness. This fascinating article leads us all through the possible causes and solutions. [Equine Back Mechanics]

Which type of horse owner are you? Are you Miss Matchy Matchy? The Stall Rest Owner? How about Make Do & Mender? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you should click this link. [6 Types Of Horse Owners We Know & Love]

 

 

KER ClockIT Session of the Week:

This is an experienced horse that recently had some time off. The rider is bringing him back into fitness in preparation for a three-day. She describes this as, “a tougher gallop, but not really being pushed to his limits because we are taking it a bit easy on him.” Their track is a figure-8 on sloped terrain, accelerating on the inclines. During this session, the horse was in the 70-80% heart-rate zone for 7:40, and 80-90% for almost 4 minutes.

The 80-90% range is the zone where many human athletes train to improve fitness. In this zone, there begins to be a significant level of anaerobic energy generation and blood lactate starts to accumulate. Read more about KER research and how heart rate can be used as an indicator of fitness.

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Lesson from this video: Blueberry is a little piggy!